Local communities
Management Approach
The Company strives to contribute to the development of the regions where it operates. We provide the local population with high-quality communications and internet, contribute to reducing the digital divide between cities and villages, and help those in dire need.
In 2023, the Company adopted the Policy on Local Communities Engagement.
The Policy on Local Communities Engagement defines unified principles of Kazakhtelecom JSC’s management for interaction with local executive bodies, public organisations and local population in the regions of the Company’s presence and is aimed at maintaining favourable constructive relations with them.
The Policy is formed on the basis of the principles set forth in the following international documents: UN Global Compact, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention of the International Labour Organisation, and also takes into account the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Principles of the Policy:
- Ensure contribution to the promotion of social and economic development in the regions where it operates in the course of its business activities.
- Contribute to improving the quality of life of local communities in the regions where the Company operates.
- Maintain constructive relations with local communities, taking into account their opinions, interests, views and preferences.
- Comply with the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- Minimise social and environmental risks and impacts on local communities in the regions where it operates.
The Company does not have special divisions that implement programmes of interaction with local communities related to the Samruk-Kazyna JSC’s Charity Policy. The Samruk-Kazyna Trust Social Projects Development Fund carries out all charitable and sponsorship activities of Samruk-Kazyna JSC Group of Companies.
The key areas of charitable assistance of the Samruk-Kazyna Trust Social Projects Development Fund in 2023 were as follows:
- supporting medical, children’s and other social institutions;
- improving medical services, primarily for orphans, children without parental care, children from incomplete, low-income and large families, as well as by organising disease diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation;
- providing assistance to the least protected segments of the population, including low-income persons in need of care and guardianship;
- promoting prevention and protection of citizens’ health, as well as promoting healthy lifestyles;
- supporting for the development of culture and the arts;
- supporting for the development of sports;
- developing local communities through support for civic initiatives.
More information about the Samruk- Kazyna Trust activities can be found on the website https://sk-trust.kz/en/.
Promoting community development
Kazakhtelecom JSC operates in all regions of Kazakhstan and is a major employer and taxpayer.
The Company makes tax payments in full, on time and with a high level of transparency.
Large employer and taxpayer
employees in 2023
(*consolidated data)
We provide with telecommunications and Internet access:
Creating economic value for the stakeholders
Kazakhtelecom JSC understands importance of its participation in the sustainable development of the regions of its presence and takes all available measures to enhance its positive impact on the life of local communities. Being a major employer in the regions of operation, the Company significantly contributes to the development of local labour markets. The Company developed this responsible approach within its Development Strategy.
The Company creates direct economic value through its core activities, which generate income. The distribution of the created economic value takes place in the process of paying salaries to employees, dividends to shareholders, as well as taxes and other payments to the government; procuring goods and services and making voluntary social investments.
The Company is responsible for the impact of its operations on local communities, the environment and biodiversity. More information on this is provided in the section Biodiversity.
The Company’s contribution to the local and national economies and local communities is recognised through:
- direct business activity and focus on efficiency improvements;
- the creation of direct and indirect employment opportunities;
- social investment.
Company’s interaction with local communities
The Company recognises its impact on local communities. Kazakhtelecom analyses, takes into account the interests and opinions of employees, partners and other stakeholders, including local communities, when planning and implementing projects in the course of its activity.
In the course of its operation, Kazakhtelecom builds a dialogue with local communities on a regular basis, respecting their interests.
Main ways of the Company’s interaction with local communities:
- Providing up-to-date information through publications in mass media on development plans, on the results of our activities in the field of sustainable development.
- Conducting surveys, questionnaires through corporate mass media to determine the opinion of local communities on the events planned by the Company in the regions where it operates.
- Handling requests through feedback channels.
- Planning and implementing social investments and charitable activities within the social and economic support of the regions of operation.
- Engaging in direct dialogues with representatives of local communities through participation in joint meetings, task forces and standing committees.
- Building joint effective work on the development of the regions of operations with representatives of government authorities.
Within the pilot national project Comfortable School, the Company issues technical conditions for schools on a free basis. In 2024 (stage 1), technical conditions will be issued for 215 schools. In 2025 (stage 2), technical conditions will be issued for 125 schools.
The pilot national education project Comfortable School aims at eliminating emergency facilities, three-shift education and shortage of pupil places in secondary education organisations throughout the country.
It is envisaged to achieve this goal by solving two main tasks:
- Commissioning of at least 740 thousand (with double-shift education) new pupil places in cities and rural settlements by 2026 to cover the current and projected shortage of pupil places.
- Creation of a comfortable and safe educational environment in secondary education organisations commissioned under the National Project.
Read more about this project implementation in our next reports.
In 2023, the whole Kazakhstan worried about its compatriots in Abay region, where forest fires were raging.
Kazakhtelecom Group contributed to the elimination of the forest fire in the Abai region by providing the necessary communications and providing the operational headquarters with telephone and internet communications with additional deployment of mobile telephony.
Kcell JSC charged subscribers within the radius of the fire with 60 minutes and 10 GB package +, provided mobile base stations to the Ministry of Emergency Situations for uninterrupted operation of services.
Operator Tele2/Altel credited its subscribers in the area of forest fires with 60 minutes and 60 SMS to all operators in Kazakhstan, as well as 10 GB of data. In addition, Tele2/Altel specialists deployed a mobile base station in the disaster area to assist the Ministry of Emergency Situations and provide the region’s residents with uninterrupted communications.
Volunteering
Kazakhtelecom supports environmental, educational, sports and cultural initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of life in the regions where the Company operates.
Every year, the Company’s employees help elderly people - veterans and pensioners, congratulating them on the International Day of the Elderly and presenting them with food baskets.
For socially vulnerable families, Kazakhtelecom JSC’s employees together with the employees of the Fund collected and handed over backpacks for first-graders on the eve of 1 September.
Our employees also participate in subbotniks and marathons.
In September 2023, Kazakhtelecom held a 5G KcellRUN marathon in Astana. The race was also held in Turkestan at the same time. More than a thousand sports fans, adherents of healthy and active lifestyle took part in the marathon in the two cities simultaneously.
During the 5G KcellRUN marathon, we organised a teleconference to link the participants live at the start of the race in the two cities using fifth generation technology.
Plans for 2024 and the medium term
- Establish the Company’s goals or objectives for local communities development (support of regions of operation) and the timeframe for their achievement.
- Introduce the practice of monitoring local community development programmes (support of regions of operation) and charity programmes.